Chip Kelly enters year three as head coach of the Eagles, trotting out his third different starting quarterback when the season gets underway.
The question of whether Sam Bradford can succeed under Chip has become almost secondary since the trade occurred. At first it was the frustration that the Eagles parted with a 2016 second round pick. Then the mystery of why his jersey was unavailable for purchase and then speculation that he was acquired as merely a trade chip to acquire Mariota.
Now that the smoke has cleared, the question that really nobody can predict, will he be ready to start the season?
It’s difficult to project how “successful” a player can be in the NFL when injuries have derailed their path.
You hear about his “possibilities” with the mention of Sam Bradford, what he has already accomplished and “what he could do” if not for the injuries.
There was his success at Oklahoma which led to him being drafted first overall. He was awarded rookie of the year honors and had a promising start to the 2013 before getting injured. There is also mention of his poor receiving targets and a below average offensive line during his tenure in St. Louis for why his touchdown to turnover ratio isn’t all that impressive.
All of these factors contributed into the decision by the head coach to make the trade, and “gamble” on the starting quarterback situation of the Philadelphia Eagles.
It could have been Nick Foles who already knew the system. 2015 would be about Nick staying healthy for an entire season and proving he could to 2013 form and not the turnover prone player from last season.
There would have been “consistency” at the starting quarterback position, but also the question of contract extension.
Nick is gone, but a decision is still required by the head coach with whether to secure his 2015 quarterback long term. With Sam Bradford, Chip glows about all of the promise that his new quarterback can bring to the Eagles, but there is no escaping the injury history.
When Vick was the quarterback, it was only a matter of time before he got injured due to his style of play. With Bradford, the worry isn’t solely based with him getting hit; it’s about every snap, every movement; a fear that the knee won’t hold up.
I believe those who follow the Eagles are generally excited to see what Bradford can do as the quarterback for this football team. At the same time, hesitation to “connect” comes at great risk, football is a violent game and Bradford has a lengthy injury history.
Finding that franchise quarterback has been a challenge for Chip, and he saw the opportunity to obtain a possible solution with the trade to bring Bradford to Philadelphia.
Chip hopes he was correct, that the plug and play era of quarterback has ended; even though he harps at the notion that there is “always” competition at each position.
